Victor Wembanyama Makes Big Gesture for De'Aaron Fox's Return

De'Aaron Fox makes a dramatic return to the Sacramento Kings as a member of the Spurs

Matt Guzman | Mar 7, 2025

Feb 10, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) and guard De'Aaron Fox (4) react during the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

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Sitting courtside at Golden 1 Center in a confoundingly purple T-shirt, Victor Wembanyama watched as the rest of his teammates got shots up before facing the Sacramento Kings.

It had been a while since the 21-year-old San Antonio Spurs star took flight after his season was ended prematurely due to a deep vein thrombosis diagnosis in his right shoulder, but according to ESPN's Michael C. Wright, the medicine he'd been taking made it safe to do so.

The result? Wembanyama would be in the building to support Fox in his bittersweet homecoming.

Victor Wembanyama is in Sacramento to support D’Aaron Fox in his return to face the Kings. Because of the type of medication Wembanyama is taking, Spurs docs deem it safe for him to fly. Now he won’t be on every road trip. But he’s definitely wanted to be here in Sac.
— Michael C. Wright (@mikecwright) March 7, 2025

"I saw the boos," Fox said, addressing the elephant in the room. "It is what it is. For people that I've come across already, It's been a lot of love. I really appreciate that ... I definitely appreciate the time I had here."

Ahead of Fox's return, further insight was revealed about the hullaballoo that encomposed his departure. A mixture of frustration caused by the lack of a steady head coach and a longing for further playoff success caused the point guard to look elsewhere.

As he explained, however, that really meant only San Antonio.

“There was no f***ing list," Fox explained. "I wanted to go to San Antonio."

“There was no f***ing list. I wanted to go to San Antonio. A lot of people are mad, saying I handcuffed the team. Well, this is my career. It's not my job to help build your team. I'm not about to just go where they want me to go.”

— De’Aaron Fox 😳

(via @mikecwright, h/t… pic.twitter.com/6b6ZDUDleC
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 7, 2025

Having Wembanyama and the rest of his new teammates with him will certainly make things slightly easier, but not even they could ease the difficulty of such a move.

"Having to pick up and move halfway across the country is definitely the hardest part," Fox said. "Other than that, this is the business we signed up for."

Are there misconceptions still out there regarding the end of Fox's tenure with the Kings? A slow, silent head shake was all she wrote. And as far as the point guard is concerned, there's only one thing to anticipate at Golden 1 Center Friday night.

"I expect a good basketball game," Fox said.

Tipoff between the Spurs and Kings is set for 10 p.m. EST.

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Published Mar 7, 2025

MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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